Mower.



Pa tented Sept. l8, I900. J. F. WELLS.

MOWER.

(Application filed Feb. 24, 1899.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Modei.)

THE NORRIS Parana cc'fPnQTo-uma, msnmewm nv c.

No. 658,305. Patented Sept. l8, I900. J. F. WELLS.

MOWER.

(Application filed Feb. 24. 1899.) (No Model.) v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. WVELLS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO FRANK WELLS,

- OF SAME PLACE.

MOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,305, datedSeptember 18, 1900;

Application filed renew 24, 1899. Serial no. 706.750. (No model.)

To all whom, it incl/y concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES F. WELLS, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State ofMissouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mowers, of which thefollowing is'a full, clear, and exact description, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in mowing-machines; and itconsists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointedout in the claim.

Figure I is a perspective view of my improved machine with one of thegroundwheels removed. Fig. II is a view part in elevation and part invertical section. Fig. III is a rear elevation. Fig. IV is an enlargedvertical section showing the knife-driving mechanism. Fig. V is a sideview of the driving-pinion. Fig. VI is an inside view of one of theknife-driving eccentrics. Fig. VII is adetailviewofabracebarandarm. Fig.VIII is a transverse section of the telescoping shaft.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the main frame of the machine,and 2 3 the drivewheels.

4 is the finger-bar, provided with a divider 5, as usual, at its outerend and a shoe 6 at its inner end. The finger-bar is provided with twoknives 7, driven by eccentrics 8 on a shaft 9, the eccentrics beingconnected to their respective knives by means of straps 10, providedwith arms 11, pivoted at 12 to the knives. I prefer to locateantifriction-balls 8 between the eccentrics and their straps, as shownin Fig. VI. The inner ends of the knives are held down on the shoe 6 bymeans of a guard 13, secured to the shoe. To protect thedriving-eccentrics, the shoe is pro vided with a hood 14,. (see Figs. IIand IV,) in which the outer end of the shaft 9 is journaled. The hoodconsists of side plates 15 and 16 and a removable top piece 17, havingan offset 17, providing a shoulder 17" and a lip 17 The side 16 isslotted to receive the shaft 9, and the top piece 17 has a projection18, closing the slot above the shaft. The top piece has vertical flangesl9, fitting within the sides of the hood.

The inner end of the shaft 9 has a knuckle connection 20 with a shaft21, formed in two parts, one of which telescopes the other. The innerpart of the shaft is square or non-circular in cross-section, aswell asthesocket in the outer part. The other end of the shaft 21 has a knuckleconnection 22 with a shaft 23, journal ed in a casting or box 24,depending from the frame of the machine. The other end of the shaft 23has a bevel-gear connection 25 with a shaft 26, supported by the frameof the machine and the ends of which are provided with pinions 27,meshing with internal gears 28, carried by the wheels 2. The pin* ions27 are connected to their shaft 26 by means of a head 27 and spring dogsor pawls 27 that engage notches 27 in the pinions, as shown in Fig. V.The bevel gear-wheel 25 on the shaft 26 is provided with a notched hub29, loose on the shaft and adapted to be engaged by a sliding clutch 30,as shown in Fig. III, the clutch having a spline connection 3O with theshaft, so as to be turned therewith, while free to move thereon. Theclutch may be moved into and out of engagement with the hub 29, to throwthe machine into and out of gear, by means of a foot-lever 31, pivotedto the frame of the machine and which is held in either position towhich it is moved by means of projections 32 on the frame and betweenwhich the lever is adapted to fit. The lever has sufficient spring topermit of its being forced out of engagement with the projections 32when it is to be moved.

35 represents an arm or bar having a bifl1rcated head 36, pivoted to theshoe 6, the other end of the bar having a ball-and-socket connection 37with the frame 1 of the machine on the far side of the machine from thefinger-bar.

38 represents a bell-crank lever pivoted to the bar 35 and one end ofwhich is connected by a rod 39 to a projection 40 on the shoe 6. Theother end of the bell-crank lever is connected by a rod 41 to ahand-lever 42, so that by manipulating the hand-lever the outer end ofthe finger-bar can be raised and lowered. On the head 36 of the bar is aprojection 43, connected by a rod 44 to a lever 45, so that bymanipulating the lever the cutter-bar can be rocked to raise or lowerthe points of the knife-guards.

46 is a bar pivoted by a pin 46 to the frame 1 of the machine andpivoted to the outer end of the arm 35 by a pin 46".

47 is a spring secured by a bolt 47 to the frame 1 of the machine andbearing upwardly against the bar 46 and acts to hold the shoe of thefinger-bar up off the ground.

By locating the driving mechanism, that forms the connection between thedrivingwheels and the knives, on the finger-bar side of the machine andby employing the knuckle connections 20 and 22 the outer end of the finger-bar can be raised to any elevation without interfering with thedriving mechanism or the operation of the knives, while the shoe remainsupon the ground. By making the shaft 21 in two parts, one of whichtelescopes the other, it can be shortened as the shoe is raised andlowered, and by employing the ball-and-socket joint 37 the bar 35retains its function as a brace without interfering with the raising andlowering of the shoe 6.

I claim, as my invention- A mower comprising drive-wheels, a frame, adriving-shaft journaled in the frame, and with which the drive-wheelsare geared, a finger-bar having knives, a shoe at the inner end of thefinger-bar, the arm having ball-andsocket connection with the frame anda bifurcated head pivoted to the shoe, a bar pivoted to the outer end ofthe arm and also pivoted to the frame, a spring secured to the frame,and bearing upwardly against the bar to hold the shoe of the finger-baroff the ground, and the telescoping shaft having knuckle connections andgeared with the driving-shaft and with the knives.

JAS. F. WELLS.

In presence of- E. S. KNIGHT, G. A. TAUBERSCHMIDT.

